A Serious Man
The Coens’ funniest film since ‘Fargo’. This sits alongside their
Oscar-winning drama ‘No Country For Old Men’ in the “masterpiece”
category.
It’s an unconventional comedy. Yes, it’s hilarious, but to describe the humour as dark would be an understatement. It’s also incredibly thoughtful and wonderfully enigmatic: for example, what is the significance of the pre-credits sequence?
Above everything else, it’s utterly anxiety-inducing. I cringed throughout, as the decent and likeable Larry Gopnick endured hardship after hardship. And it’s never explained why he’s forced to bear so much pain, suffering and misery.
Michael Stuhlbarg is sensational in the lead role. In fact, the whole cast is superb. And there are so many stand-out moments, I can’t mention them all. But I have to single out the Bar Mitzvah scene. Genius!
